Bachelor of Fine Arts (York University)
Katie Thurman is a singer, pianist, accompanist, and teacher based in Toronto. Her passion for music has been with her since childhood, and she is excited to have recently completed her undergraduate degree in music at York University.
Trained classically in piano, she continues to explore other styles including pop and jazz, as well as write her own compositions. Her vocal training is in both classical and musical theatre styles, as well as lengthy choral experience both in and out of school.
Katie spent 6 years singing with WIBI A Cappella, a collegiate-based group, during her time at York, and is proud to have competed with them twice in the ICCA (the very competition the Pitch Perfect films were based on!). Currently, she sings with the Toronto-based That Choir.
Katie loves all types of music, but spends most of her time listening to pop, indie, and alt-pop records.
Katie also writes her own songs and is working towards putting together an EP. Aside from music, Katie’s other passions include baking, film, and psychology. She loves teaching and is always pushing herself to grow pedagogically and musically!
Get to know Katie…Beyond the Bio!
Hobbies: baking, watching movies/TV, writing, yoga, hiking
Musical influences: Classical: Natalie Dessay, Maria Callas/Pop: Arcade Fire, Lana Del Rey, BANKS, Florence & the Machine, Rhye
Favourite food: Pasta
Least favourite food: Seafood
Favourite music: pop & alt-pop, indie/folk, dance, and all things Celtic
Favourite song: currently “Favourite Boy” by Half Moon Run
Favourite movie: Eighth Grade
Favourite movie music: A Single Man, music composed by Abel Korzeniowski?
Favourite musical theatre/opera: Les Misérables
Best quote from your teacher: Vocal teacher: “Just go for it! We want to hear ‘Katie-and-a-half'”.
Favourite quote: Motivation comes from work
Favourite book: The Handmaid’s Tale
Best thing about teaching at ABC: I like sharing my knowledge with students, and I learn from them too!
Latest Homework from Katie
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Thursday, March 26th
My dear colleague Jade will be stepping in to teach this coming week on April 2nd.
Josh
We moved on to Wonderwall. Josh did Don’t Look Back in Anger previously, and because the beat was so similar, at first he was relying on memory to play the first part of the two bar beat (see bar 24-25). This is a good sign that Josh is able to replicate a beat from listening, but I also would like to remind him to keep going back to the score when learning a new song. Bar 24 and 25 are sounding good individually, and I would like Josh to work on them individually and combining the two. Later, try to play the two bar on loop.
Aleksander
Currently, Alex is working on Bring me to Life. Right now, he is able to play up to bar 37 very well. Up to bar 24, Alex can play it at 90% of the speed, and for the verse (bar 24-32), he is sitting at around 60% speed. To get it up to speed, I think the coordination of beat two in bar 25 is worth practising in isolation, with metronome. Aleksander should try to finish the page this week and play through at a slower speed with Jade.
Zico
Zico is picking up the Sir Duke quickly, and getting a good feel of the swung 16. We tried a little play through of page 1 during lesson, and noticed that the swung 16 tends to be crushed during fills. Listen to the horns for a reference of how those swung 16th should sound like. Also practise the push pull motion on hi hat. Loosen up the wrist, and perhaps do some metronome work to get it up to speed. Now it is a little stiff and its slightly dragging. Overall, great job so far on the song though!
Noah
Started with the play through of When I Come Around, and although it went smoothly, we are back to the old habit of playing fast material to fast. This is perhaps a good reminder to practise material with metronome, making sure it slots perfectly into each beat. We briefly looked at Smooth Criminal together. Try to perhaps get through the Intro with Jade.
Finn
We revisited Kids with a Gun. Great job with the coordination, but need to slightly control the sound quality of the open hihat. We will work on that in the next song, which is Otherside by RHCP. It is similar to Can’t Stop, another RHCP he played in the past. So I will like for him to practise the one intro bar with rim shots, and also revise the Cant Stop groove.
Henry
We continued working on 21 Guns this class. Henry is doing very well with the counting and observing the change in the pattern very well. We have worked till bar 23 and bar 24 is still slightly tricky for Henry. Practise the R R R RL rhythm on another surface, and make sure the 16th notes is played correctly, then move it to snare and crash. The score has the lyrics on top if Henry ever needs a tip for how the melody goes for each passage.
Mateo
For Labios today, we went through first page, and identified the different sections. Overall, Mateo should look towards playing with less tension, and I talked to him about having different energy level for different sections of the song. For example, hold back during verse, slowly escalate during Pre Chorus and at Chorus you can play louder. Escalate also during the fill leading up to the next section. Also the song also has an interesting 10 bar Chorus sections, and another two bars post Chorus before the song gets back to verse. Worth noting that and playing accordingly. I would like Mateo to look through the song until bar 57 this week.
Koel
We continue working on Fool in the Rain today. The song is somewhat repetitive, but Koel is finding the groove slightly tricky to play. The pattern for Chorus on ride is worth practising by isolating different instrument groupings, before piecing it altogether. Also Koel is sometimes tripping on the end of the phrase when there is a different sticking. Practise triplets in these following sticking during warm up: RRL RRL/LLR LLR/ RLL RLL/ LRR LRR. Then play snare and bass drum together first for those bars, before adding in the rest. Try the samba section as well, and if the previous sections are going well, Koel can start working with Jade on samba section.
Preferred Books for Katie’s Students
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Faber & Faber Piano Adventures
The 2nd Edition Primer Lesson Book introduces the keyboard, note values, and the grand staff. Students play in C 5-finger scale patterns, develop recognition of steps and skips, and learn letter names independent of finger number. Musicianship is built through the use of dynamics and coloristic experimentation with the pedal. The book is organized into units which represent the major concepts and skills. As new units are introduced, earlier concepts and skills are constantly reviewed.
Alfred's Adult Basic All-In-One
Alfred’s Basic Adult All-in-One Course is designed for use with a piano instructor for the beginning student looking for a truly complete piano course. It is a greatly expanded version of Alfred’s Basic Adult Piano Course that will include lesson, theory, and technique in a convenient, “all-in-one” format. This comprehensive course adds such features as isometric hand exercises, finger strengthening drills, and written assignments that reinforce each lesson’s concepts. There is a smooth, logical progression between each lesson, a thorough explanation of chord theory and playing styles, and outstanding extra songs, including folk, classical, and contemporary selections.
RCM Voice Repertoire
A Comprehensive Voice Series serves as the official resource for voice assessments of the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program. Featuring an outstanding selection of voice literature and supporting materials, this series offers a truly enriched learning experience to help ensure student success. As in previous editions, Resonance encompasses a rich and varied selection of Repertoire, Vocalises and Recitatives that students of all ages and voice types will find appropriate to their musical interests and level of technical ability.
Vocal Workouts for the Contemporary Singer
The vocal workouts in this much-anticipated follow-up to Peckham’s The Contemporary Singer are based on Berklee College of Music’s highly effective vocal method. This volume will help vocalists develop the voice through good vocal health, warm-up exercises, advanced techniques, stage performance advice and more. Includes companion online audio for ultimate interactive education!
Alfred's Teach Yourself to Sing
Learn to sing and open up a brand new world of musical knowledge with this exciting method from Alfred Music. Beginning with the fundamentals, you will learn about equipment used by singers, vocal health, and getting acquainted with reading music. You will then move right along to breathing, vocalizing, proper warm-ups, and singing songs, lesson by lesson, all while continuing to increase your knowledge of reading and understanding music. You will learn to sing an array of musical styles including pop, jazz, classical, and musical theater. Near the end of the book, you will be introduced to the idea of individual interpretation, which will help you color your songs with your own unique style. The book features a chord and scale chart for reference during and after your lessons.
